| A new CEA (Controlled Environment Agriculture) system growing Boston lettuce, Lactuca Sativa cv. ‘Vivaldi’, achieves the same quality and quantity of production every day of the year. The year-round constant quantity and quality production indicate potential for success. However, our research showed that out of nine selected U.S. locations with different climatic and economic conditions, the Northeast had 25.7 percent higher production costs for the same yield. The analysis indicated that given current prices and costs, CEA hydroponic lettuce production in northern climates such as Ithaca in upstate New York and Chicago is marginal to negative in terms of economic viability. As a result, the question arises about the future viability of CEA in areas such... |
